


Wings Of Glass

by O_ToJoy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Consensual Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 15:10:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17552018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/O_ToJoy/pseuds/O_ToJoy
Summary: Centuries ago, Kral-Zera had been a fortress with high towers and austere stone walls.In that place, generations of Galra champions had challenged the crown princes to tear themoff the throne.Lotor knew it had never happened. The royal dynasty had controlled the Empire until therise of his father. Kral-Zera had lost its meaning and it had slowly fallen into ruins because ofZarkon.The Torch Tower was the last one standing and for the first time in centuries, the violet flamewas announcing the rise of a new emperor.





	Wings Of Glass

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the story I worked on for Tales Of Altea fanzine (Twtter: @talesofaltea) it's set in a fantasy universe where everything is the same (more or less) but the Black Paladin is a Black Dragon and Keith and Lance are 6-year-old children.

  
>Centuries ago, Kral-Zera had been a fortress with high towers and austere stone walls.  
In that place, generations of Galra champions had challenged the crown princes to tear them  
off the throne.  
Lotor knew it had never happened. The royal dynasty had controlled the Empire until the  
rise of his father. Kral-Zera had lost its meaning and it had slowly fallen into ruins because of  
Zarkon.  
The Torch Tower was the last one standing and for the first time in centuries, the violet flame  
was announcing the rise of a new emperor.  
“How long will it last?” Keith asked, walking around the violet bonfire.  
Leaning against the mossy wall, with his arms crossed on his chest, Lotor didn’t look at him.  
“I have no idea,” he answered distractedly. He was staring at the stone stairs.  
The violet blade, which had belonged to his father, was still there on the ground.  
Lotor had thrown it away to pick up the torch and light the fire, which had made him the new  
emperor to the Galra’s eyes.  
“Why don’t you pick it up?” Keith asked, referring to the sword.  
Lotor looked at the little Galra for a long time. “You have to go to bed,” he said. “I’m sure  
Allura is looking for you. She is worried.”  
But Keith was too young and too stubborn to leave him in peace. “You don’t want to pick it  
up because it was your father’s sword, do you?”  
Lotor bit his lips. It was just a part of the truth.  
“We have to return to the camp," Lotor said. He gave to the child a gentle push to make him  
walk down the stairs.  
Keith looked at the abandoned sword on the stone stairs.  
"Keith," Lotor called before the child decided to do something stupid.  
“You have to clean it,” the little Galra said like a veteran warrior. “It’s bloody.” Eventually, he  
walked down the stairs.  
Lotor didn’t follow him. He lifted the sword from the ground. He looked at the violet blade and  
the reflection of his empty eyes looked back at him.  
“The blood on this blade will never be washed away,” he said to himself.  
  
  
  
Lotor knew what insecurity was, he had felt deeply inadequate for a long time during his  
childhood. Growing up, he had learned to control his feelings and to show only the less  
dangerous ones.  
When he returned to the camp, the new emperor realized with shame that was Keith’s little  
hand in his to give him the strength to walk with his head held high.  
Everyone looked down with respect as he walked. No one exulted. Everything would’ve  
been different with Shiro by his side. Lotor was sure there wouldn’t be so much silence.  
It had been Coran’s idea to rise two royal tents. He had done it for Allura, not for him.  
Lotor would have settled for less but the old Altean didn’t want to damage his  
princess and taking care of his allies was part of the game.  
“Strip and go to bed,” ordered Lotor. leaning the sword against one of the tent’s pole. He  
looked around himself: there was a lot of space and it was full of furniture, more than he  
needed. The moonlight entered through a circular opening on the ceiling. There was a dusty  
campfire under it. It had never been lit.  
“Are you cold?” Lotor asked to the child.  
Keith shook his head, he jumped on the bed leaving his clothes on the floor.  
Lotor gave him an annoyed look for the rudeness but he said nothing about it. Keith’s  
behavior wasn’t the problem, Shiro’s absence was.  
Once under the blankets, the little Galra glared at him.  
Lotor eyebrows lifted. “Sleep,” he ordered as if it was enough to make a child fall asleep.  
“I want to wait for Shiro,” Keith said.  
“When you sleep, the time goes by faster,” insisted the emperor.  
“I want to wait for him awake.”  
Lotor looked more annoyed than before. That brat incarnated the Galra’s stubbornness  
better than his father’s commanders.  
“Keith, Shiro is coming back,” he reassured him with the gentler voice he could simulate. “He  
will always come back for you.”  
The child settled himself against the big cushions. “He didn’t come back last time.” He was  
referring to the time Shiro had left him for the war and commander Sendak had captured  
him. Lotor had met him in that way and, together, they had decided to walk down the way to  
revenge.  
“You’re wrong,” said the emperor, sitting next to the child. “That time, he returned. He just  
needed more time.”  
How else could he speak to that child about the way Shiro had become the Galra champion,  
and then the new Black Dragon?  
“When you are a man, your brother will tell everything,” concluded Lotor.  
In his place, Shiro would’ve kissed Keith and laid him to sleep. Lotor didn’t have that power.  
He looked at the child until the tiredness took over him.  
Lotor looked back at the Black Dragon’s Sword. Keith was right, before getting it back to his  
master, he needed to clean the blade.  
He lit up the campfire and gave another look at the place around him. It was dominated by  
the Empire’s color, violet and crimson.  
No Galra commander would’ve wasted their time with those details but an Altean, yes.  
Coran was a very scrupulous man.  
Lotor had almost done with the sword when Allura looked inside the tent. “Can I disturb  
you?” the princess asked smiling.  
Lotor shook his head. “You never disturb,” he said. “Come in...”  
Despite the past of their parents, Allura had a calming power over him. When they spoke  
to each other, he didn't need to explain himself. It was as if he talked with Shiro but without  
the tension created by their roles of prince and commander.  
“Long live the emperor,” the princess said tenderly.  
The corner of Lotor’s lips turned up but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Allura noticed it and  
sat next to him by the fireplace. “Are you fine?”  
Lotor let the bloody cloth slip to the ground. The sword, which had belonged to his father,  
suddenly felt heavier.  
He had conquered Kral-Zera wielding it but he didn’t own that weapon. It belonged to Shiro.  
His commander. His lover.  
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But I’m sure a victorious emperor is not supposed to feel like  
this.”  
Allura gave him a melancholic smile. “Every victory comes at a price.”  
Lotor learned that lesson at his own expense but he wasn’t sure what price he was paying.  
He looked at the sleeping little Galra in his bed. “If Shiro doesn’t come back, he will raise  
hell.”  
Allura sighed tiredly looking at the child. “Lance didn’t want to sleep, either.”  
“I was lucky,” Lotor admitted. “Shiro knows what to do with Keith, I don’t.”  
“He fell asleep with you,” Allura said. “He ran away from me before I could even touch him.”  
Lotor looked at his reflection in the violet blade. “I didn’t order him to capture her,” he said  
distractedly. "Shiro is chasing her but he will not get to her, I know."  
“Are you talking about Haggar?” asked Allura seriously.  
“She is always a step ahead of us,” Lotor said. “Ahead of me. Perhaps my coronation is part  
of her plan.”  
“We have Sendak,” Allura reminded him. “She wouldn’t have sacrificed her stronger warrior.”  
“Sendak is not indispensable,” explained Lotor. “He is just the cruelest...”  
Allura lowered her eyes. “I ordered to Kolivan to leave you alone tonight, but he wants to  
know if you want to interrogate him.”  
Lotor didn't answer immediately. "I'm going to wait for Shiro's return," he finally said. "He has  
the right to see Sendak fall just like me.”  
Allura nodded and stayed silent.  
A powerful roar in the distance reassured the young emperor that his commander was back.  
Allora took his hand. “Go to him,” she said smiling. “I’ll stay with Keith.”  
Lotor held the Black Dragon’s Sword and stood up. “If the child wakes up, tell him that his  
brother is coming back to him,” he said. “But he doesn’t have to run towards him.”  
Allura tried to not laugh and nodded.  
Lotor took a step out of the tent but a sudden thought blocked him.  
“Where can I find clean clothes?”  
  
  
The Paladin of the Black Dragon belonged both to the humans and t the spirits’ world: a  
mortal warrior with such a brave heart to dominate the spirit of the legendary beast with  
wings of glass. Before he succumbed to darkness, Zarkon, king of Galras, was the first to  
perform that role. Side by side with Alfor, the last king of Altea, he protected all known  
kingdoms and he fought to preserve peace.  
Ten thousand years later, a simple human being, a prisoner of war, the most uncontrollable  
among the others, showed his valor and courage on the Galras' ring and was able to awake  
the spirit of the Black Dragon. He became his Paladin.  
That young man was Takashi Shirogane, but he was just Shiro when he met Lotor.  
They had been both slaves of Zarkon’s tyranny, even if in different ways, and they had  
become each other’s hope.  
The deal was simple: if the Paladin of Black Dragon helped him get his vengeance, Lotor  
would grant him his freedom. With that last victory, they both fulfilled it and there was nothing  
more to bind them together.  
There was a majestic waterfall under the cliff where the Kral-Zera’s fortress raised.  
Lotor was used to find the Black Dragon bathing in those crystal clear waters. Shiro could  
never stand to feel on him the traces left after a battle. He has always been like that since  
the years in the arena.  
Shiro was born to be a warrior, but not a simple soldier - he was a leader, a Commander.  
Still, Lotor felt that the champion was disgusted by his dark side and being the owner of the  
Black Dragon’s power didn’t change anything.  
However, Shiro did never escape from his duties. Lotor was sure he would be always the  
first to jump into a fight and the last one to leave the field.  
The young Emperor often wondered if even his father had been that kind of leader,  
before the war against Altea turned him into a monster.  
If the legend was true, the Black Dragon chose his Paladins according to precise  
characteristics; Shiro and Zarkon had something in common.  
Lotor was upset but also fascinated by this thought.  
What could possibly turn Shiro into a monster like his father?  
With the sword that killed his predecessor by his side, Lotor realized that he would have to  
ask that question to himself.  
The great beast hadn't noticed him yet and Lotor remained quiet to stare at it.  
Contrary to its body, its large wings didn’t have raven-colored scales.  
They were almost transparent with a light shade of turquoise green. They looked like glass  
but Lotor knew that nothing would ever be able to shatter them.  
For him, it was difficult to think about Zarkon in that form. Sometimes he wondered if there  
were differences in the transformation, or if his lover was the perfect reflection of his father.  
Lotor was sure only about a thing: the previous Black Dragon didn’t have gray and sparkling,  
iron-like eyes.  
Driven by the desire to have those eyes on him, the young emperor moved forward. The  
beast ended shaking his wings under the jet of water.  
They simply stared at each other.  
For the first time in the history of the Empire, the Galras’ champion had fought side by side  
to  
the crown prince and not against him.  
Now they were emperor and commander.  
Lotor wondered if their new roles would have the priority on their bond as accomplices and  
lovers. He wasn’t even what he wanted the most.  
The Black Dragon was the first one to break that silent exchange of looks.  
Lotor saw him disappearing behind the water curtain. He looked at the giant, black  
profile became smaller and smaller, taking a new shape.  
When he came into view, Shiro wasn’t the Black Dragon anymore but a handsome young  
man.  
His commander didn’t smile and Lotor soon realized the outcome of the mission, that hadn’t  
been ordered by him.  
Shiro crossed the pool of water, the wall between them, looking down. He was totally  
naked but this wasn’t the reason why he wasn’t looking at the emperor.  
“I’ve failed,” he said.  
“I wasn’t able to capture her.”  
Lotor nodded while he handed him new clothes. “I never ordered you to chase her.  
Haggar is an enemy you can’t fight by yourself.”  
Shiro took the clean clothes he brought for him. “Thank you,” he said with a kind smile.  
“Don’t you dare disobey my orders ever again,” Lotor warned him coldly.  
Shiro’s gray eyes stared at the Galra’s indigo eyes. Lotor saw something in those iron irises,  
like a rift. “Put the clothes on,” he ordered sharply.  
Shiro bit the bullet until his lips became a thin line and he obeyed. “Long live the emperor,”  
he said with a clear shade of sarcasm.  
Lotor fired up. “Do you really want to start an insubordination now?”  
“I’m your equal,” answered Shiro with the same cold voice. “It seems that a night with the  
crown has been enough to make you forget this.”  
Lotor got a grip on himself but he didn't apologize.  
“I didn’t ask you to kneel,” he highlighted. He would never have done this, not to Allura and  
not to his commander.  
Shiro shook his head to give up that argument. “Keith?” he asked while he was tying his  
trousers.  
Lotor sneered, that kid was always his first thought. “He’s sleeping in my tent,” he reassured  
him. “He’s waiting for you.” He turned. “We should go bac-...”  
“Wait Lotor,” Shiro grabbed his arm. “We have won and we are finally where we wanted.  
Let’s not ruin this moment.”  
When they had crossed paths and they had become allies against the same enemy, Lotor  
wouldn’t have believed that Shiro would have followed him for something different from  
simple, personal gain.  
Now his gray eyes were showing a very different truth, but he didn’t want to investigate  
further.  
“I’m not ruining anything,” the Galra said. “Keith suffers for your absence and Allura is  
paying for this. He needs you, we have to go back.”  
Shiro smiled. “He’s in your bed.”  
“He’s more cooperative with me than with her,” Lotor explained.  
“And do you know why?”  
“I don’t know. Keith is your kid, you are the only one to understand him.”  
Shiro’s fingers glided along the emperor’s arm up to his hand.  
“Keith is learning to trust someone who isn’t me,” he said. “I’m glad you are that one. He  
needs you as much as he needs me.”  
Lotor raised his eyebrows. “Why are you saying this?”  
“Because you are both pretty unique in your kind,” the Paladin of the Black Dragon  
explained.  
“You might not be aware of it, but you both have a lot in common.”  
“You, maybe?”  
Shiro stared at the young emperor's eyes. "My disobedience isn't the only thing that has  
upset you, isn’t it?”  
Lotor avoided the question. He drew the Black Dragon’s Sword and lifted it up with  
his hands. “This is yours,” he said offering it to his true owner.  
“I won my battle, I don’t need it anymore.”  
Shiro looked at the purple blade without interest. “We won, why aren’t you happy?”  
“I’ll be fine,” Lotor said with an adamant, low and tired voice.  
“I’m glad I’ve taken the Black Dragon’s power back to the Empire.”  
Shiro didn’t reply. He held on the emperor’s wrist tight and made him lower his arms. “This  
sword belonged to your father.”  
“It belonged to the first Paladin chosen by Black Dragon’s spirit,” Lotor corrected him.  
“You are his heir. You have to own it.”  
“We’re both Zarkon’s heirs,” answered Shiro. “The Black Dragon’s power turns me into a  
weapon. This sword must be owned by a swordsman. It’s fair for you to have this by your  
side.”  
Lotor hesitated for a moment then he nodded. He sheathed the sword but he was still staring  
at his commander. “What about the Black Dragon?” he asked. “Will he stay by my side too?”  
Shiro raised his right arm, the one with black scales that had replaced the arm lost in battle.  
The cold palm touched the Emperor’s cheek. “We have sworn loyalty to each other  
until the end of the war," he said. "The war hasn't yet finished, Lotor."  
The Galra would have wanted to believe him without doubts, but he had been struck by the  
blade of betrayal too many times. Therefore it was difficult for him to truly trust someone  
and Shiro wasn’t an exception.  
And then what? He would have wanted to ask. What is going to happen when there will be  
nothing to fight against anymore?  
Lotor couldn’t answer it and that wasn’t the right moment to ask.  
They were lovers, but the hate was their only bond. That story could end only in two ways:  
they would reach their goals and their resentment would fade away with their relationship or  
that feeling would kill them.  
“What’s our next move?” Shiro asked.  
Lotor had not thought about it yet. He did it now. “Now that I can access to the royal  
archives, I can search for something that will lead us to the legendary city of Oriande,” he  
said. “Will you follow me to a mythical place, my commander?”  
Shiro smiled. “Till the end of the world, my emperor.”

  
  
Men were like toy soldiers in Lotor’s hands, and like toys they broke. Or they lasted long  
enough to betray him.  
Shiro was his only exception. His beautiful, dangerous exception.  
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go alone?” Shiro asked gently.  
They were walking down the stairs of Kral-Zera’s prison. Sendak, who had declared himself  
Zarkon’s rightful successor, had been taken there after the battle of the Torch Tower. It was  
cold under there. The sunrays filtered through the cracks in the ceiling. It was the only  
source of light.  
“Do you think I’m afraid of him?” Lotor asked coldly. “I defeated him with my hands.”  
And with my father’s sword, but he didn’t say it.  
Shiro nodded. "I know…" He smiled. "Sorry, I didn't want to upset you."  
Lotor rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to apologize.” He hated Shiro’s smile. It made the  
young emperor hope for something he couldn’t have: friendship, trust… Love.  
He threw away that thought immediately.  
"I've known Sendak for a long time," Lotor said. "He threatened me since I can remember.  
The only reason he didn't kill me when he could was that he wished to make me his slave.  
He wanted to humiliate me till the day of my death."  
“Slave…” Shiro repeated, his eyes were as cold as ice. “We both know he doesn’t want you  
to be just a slave, Lotor.”  
The emperor looked at him. He smirked. “You are the upset one now.”  
Shiro looked back at him. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “I’m your commander.”  
"You're not talking like a commander," Lotor explained. "You're talking like a lover. I don't  
need one, not now. We're going to challenge the cruelest soldier of my father's Empire. I  
need a warrior… I need the only warrior Sendak has feared in his life." He stopped walking.  
"Sendak wanted to be the Paladin of the Black Dragon. He wanted to be the new Emperor.  
Let's show him who is worthy of these titles."  
Shiro smiled again. Lotor hated him, he really did. It wasn’t a mask, it was all real and it was  
for him.  
The young Paladin grabbed the Emperor’s hand. “Let’s show him Zarkon’s true heir, Lotor.”  
Lotor shook his head. He walked past him freeing his hand from Shiro’s. “You’re doing it  
again,” he hissed.  
Yes, he was upset.  
Kolivan was waiting for them. There were two Blades with him.  
“He is quiet,” said the Blade of Marmora’s leader to the young men. “Too quiet…”  
Lotor looked over the Galra's shoulder but it was too dark to see something behind the iron  
bars. "Wait for us at the end of the stairs," he ordered.  
Kolivan stared at him confused. “My Emperor…”  
“I gave you an order, soldier,” Lotor said firmly. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”  
“Kolivan,” Shiro took a step onward. “I’ll stay with him. Nothing bad it’s going to happen, I  
promise,” he said gently.  
Lotor glared at him but he didn’t say anything. Eventually, Kolivan nodded and left with his  
two soldiers.  
Shiro looked at the young emperor and he couldn’t help noticing the furious fire in his indigo  
eyes. “Lotor-”  
"Don't do it again," Lotor said sternly. "Don't overstep your boundaries, commander."  
Shiro didn’t have time to reply.  
“Well, well… It looks like the little prince is not able to dominate his beast,” the prisoner  
behind the iron bars said.  
Lotor was the first to step closer. “You’ve fallen, Sendak,” he said. “You’ve been defeated by  
the Galras’ emperor and his Black Dragon.” He could barely see him.  
Sendak was chained to the stone wall by his only wrist. The wicked arm, the right one, had  
been cut away by Lotor’s sword.  
My father’s sword.  
"For the first time in your life, don't be a stupid beast and tell me where I can find the witch,"  
Lotor ordered.  
He saw Sendak's golden eye shone in the darkness. "You know your mother," the Galra  
said. "She doesn't trust anyone, just like you."  
Lotor didn’t react to that provocation. He had expected it. He was ready to play that cruel  
game.  
Shiro was not. "Stop wasting our time, Sendak." He got closer to Lotor. "You've failed. You  
will never be Zarkon's heir. Surrender. You can't do otherwise."  
The Galra commander looked at him. "I was wrong," he said. "The little snake has  
dominated you."  
“There is no game of power between me and Lotor,” Shiro replied.  
The young emperor gave him a sidelong glance.  
“I’m his mate, not his slave. Stop playing and tell us everything you know about Haggard,”  
the Paladin ordered.  
Sendak studied both of them with his golden, soulless eye. "You are so brave, Paladin," he  
said. "You stand by a snake's side but you're still so full of honor. Do you really know who  
you're protecting? You are pathetic. You conquered the Galra Arena to become the prince's  
slave. I expected more from you, champion."  
“Yes, nothing has gone as planned,” said Lotor sarcastically. “The witch used you and  
abandoned you. What did she promise you? My father’s throne? His power? He was a  
puppet in her hand and you’ve taken his place.” He smiled diabolically. “Your wish has been  
granted, Sendak. You’re really Zarkon’s heir.”  
But Commander Sendak was no man, he was a beast. He had been trained to be cold,  
controlled. Shiro had been able to destroy his armor once but Lotor didn't own that power.  
He was strong, stronger than Sendak and he had demonstrated it. But he couldn’t be  
crueler.  
“How does it feel to be the whore of your father’s true heir?” Sendak asked calmly.  
Lotor’s smile disappeared.  
“You’re smart, Lotor,” the Galra commander said. “You know who is the whore and who is  
the master in your pitiful story, right?”  
Lotor didn’t answer. He was trembling with anger. Shiro noticed and grabbed his arm.  
“Lotor,” he called. “Lotor, it’s just a waste of time. Let’s go back.”  
But the emperor was like a piece of ice.  
“Poor, little Lotor.” Sendak smirked. “He has conquered the crown but he is still the  
weakest.”  
“Let’s go back!” Shiro exclaimed dragging the emperor away from the iron bars.  
“Tell me a thing, champion,” Sendak said, “is he still tight like I remember him?”  
Shiro froze. Lotor fired up with anger. “You won’t get out of here alive!” He screamed. “You  
will be executed before your soldier’s eyes! I will do it myself! I will feed them with your  
corpse’s pieces!”  
Shiro had to use his right arm, the one given him by the Black Dragon’s power, to take Lotor  
away from the Kral-Zera’s prison.  
  
  
Allura knew.  
Lotor didn’t tell her anything. He spoke in a calm voice but she knew. She looked at the  
young emperor and she knew.  
That night the royal tent was full of life. The children didn’t want to sleep and they were a  
sweet distraction from the battle’s aftermath.  
“I want to be a Paladin, too,” Lance said sulking. He was sitting on the purple carpet with his  
head on his sister’s knees. “I want to have wings! I want to fly!”  
Allura smiled at him. “Being a Paladin is a duty, not a game, Lance!”  
“But you can fly!” Insisted the le little Altean prince.  
Allura and Shiro laughed. That innocence was so brilliant.  
They were sitting around the campfire, but Lotor kept his distance. He sat at the end of his  
bed without taking part in the scene.  
Sitting between his older brother’s legs, Keith rolled his eyes. “Shiro is the Empire’s  
strongest warrior. You’ve to be stronger than him to be the new Paladin.”  
Shiro kissed the child’s raven hair. “It’s not only about strength, Keith,” he explained. “It’s  
about what you have here.” He pressed his palm against the little chest feeling the beating  
heart under it. “Courage, kindness, honor… Those are the important things.” He looked at  
Lotor. “A warrior’s greatest strength is the man at his side. You can’t be weak if you’re not  
alone.”  
The young emperor gave him a stern look. “I need to talk to Kolivan,” he said standing up.  
“When I’ll come back, I want to see the children sleeping… In their bed,” he added glaring at  
Keith.  
The little half-Galra glared back, pressing his cheek against his brother’s chest. “He’s mine,”  
he growled.  
Lotor rolled his eyes. He walked out of the tent without looking at the princess and at his  
commander.  
Shiro lowered his face, caressing Keith's hair distractedly.  
Allura sighed. “Lance, why don’t you show Keith your new fairytales book?” she proposed.  
Keith stared at the Altean prince. “You say nothing about it!” he exclaimed offended.  
Lance stood up. “It had to be a surprise…” he said sulking again.  
“Well… Surprise!” Allura said smiling brightly.  
Lance just kept sulking.  
“I didn’t know about this book,” Shiro said.  
“The people of the area wanted to thank us for defeating Sendak. They brought gifts for us  
and our children.” Allura explained.  
"Come on!" Shiro exclaimed with a smile helping Keith to stand up. "Go with Lance. You'll  
have fun."  
Keith looked at him with his big, violet eyes. “Don’t you want to come?”  
“I will follow you shortly,” Shiro promised. “I need to have a word with Allura.”  
His little brother nodded. Lance got closer and grabbed his hand. “Come with me!” he said  
happily. “It’s a colorful book! You’ll love it!”  
Keith growled but he let the Altean prince guide him out of the tent.  
Allura waited for them to leave and then she looked at Shiro with worried eyes. “What  
happened with Sendak?” she asked. “Lotor is-”  
“What do you know about them?” Shiro interrupted her coldly. His anger wasn’t for her. He  
just needed answers.  
Allura sat closer to him. “What do you mean?”  
“Sendak played with us,” Shiro said. “I expected it, but he said something that…” He sighed.  
“Lotor lost his composure. I had to drag him away.”  
“What did Sendak say?” Allura asked.  
Shiro stared at the fire before his eyes. He wanted to reduce Sendak to ashes but, before  
that, he needed to understand what happened in the past between Lotor and him. “Did he  
hurt him?” the Paladin Asked. “Did he say something about it to you?”  
Allura didn’t understand. “You lived in Zarkon’s castle with him for an entire year. You have  
seen Lotor and Sendak together. There is nothing you don’t know about them.”  
“I thought so, too,” Shiro said. “But I’m afraid Lotor has something to hide. Something  
terrible.”  
“They fought before the Touch Tower’s battle.”  
“I’m not talking about a fight…” Shiro said looking at her.  
Allura’s eyes widened. “Do you think…” She was trembling. “Do you think Sendak has…?”  
“He did nothing!” A male voice hissed.  
Shiro and Allura looked up. Lotor was back and his indigo eyes were full of anger.  
The Paladin was the first to stand up. “Lotor…”  
“He is delusional,” the emperor said firmly.  
Shiro stepped closer. "Lotor, listen…"  
“He said what he said to irritate you, Shiro!”  
“Lotor, you were trembling!”  
“Stop it!” Allura stood between. “Don’t you see? You’re playing his game! You can’t let him  
do it. When you are together, you’re invincible! Sendak knows it, he fears it. Before his fall to  
darkness, Zarkon was a great king and a great warrior. Both of you are his heirs. Don’t let  
him convince you otherwise.” She gave a resolute glace to the Paladin and then to the  
emperor. “Lance and Keith are our future, but we’re this Empire’s only hope. We can’t fail.  
We need to stay together, to fight together. Don’t forget it.”  
She didn’t wait for a reply. She left the two lovers alone.  
Shiro was the first to break the silence. “I’m not irritated by Sendak’s words.”  
Lotor rolled his eyes. “Yes, you are,” he replied. “No one wants another man’s scrap.”  
Shiro’s mouth fell open. “Do you really think I’m worried about this?”  
The young emperor didn’t answer. “He did nothing to me,” he repeated. “Nothing has  
happened. Never.”  
Shiro sighed deeply. “I believe you,” he said. “But if it was just a lie, why did you react like  
this?”  
“I’m tired,” Lotor said, freeing himself of his cape. He looked around. “Where is the little  
violet-eyes beast?”  
Shiro shook his head with sad eyes. “Why can’t you trust me?”  
Lotor stared him in the eyes. “Why can’t you just stay in your boundaries, commander?”  
"Because there are no boundaries between me and you!" Shiro shouted exasperated.  
"There is just me and you here! Stop playing the tyrant's role, Lotor!"  
Lotor drew the Black Dragon’s sword from its sheath. He pressed the violet blade against the  
Paladin’s throat.  
Shiro didn’t even flinch.  
“Don’t you dare, Paladin,” the emperor hissed. “Don’t you dare…”  
Shiro grabbed his wrist gently with his dragon hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Lotor. I  
promise.”  
“I don’t care about your promises,” Lotor replied coldly. “We need each other’s power and  
you’re good to fuck. Nothing more, nothing less.” He lowered the blade. He was going to turn  
around and get out but the Paladin’s fingers were still around his wrist.  
Suddenly, Shiro pulled the young emperor towards him. The Black Dragon's sword fell to the  
ground. Lotor was strong, stronger than any pureblood Galra, but the Paladin was the  
Empire's mightiest warrior.  
Shiro broke the tension with a smile and Lotor hated him. He really hated him but he  
wouldn't have anyone else by his side.  
Because of the Paladin’s smile, the young emperor surrendered.  
“Why are you making such a stupid expression?” Lotor asked annoyed.  
"I was thinking," Shiro said. He lifted up his dragon arm. "You were there when Sendak took  
my right arm."  
Lotor sighed touching the limb with the tips of his fingers. It was covered with black, hard  
scales. “I was there when you defeated Zarkon’s strongest warrior while you were bleeding  
because of a deathly wound.”  
Shiro got closer, his nose brushed against the emperor's cheekbone. "But I didn't die."  
“I ordered you to not to.”  
“And you kissed me.”  
“You kissed me.”  
“I was dying,” Shiro justified himself. “I had nothing to lose. I couldn’t die without kissing you.”  
"Please…" Lotor rolled his eyes. "You make me nauseous…" He stepped away but the  
Paladin was still holding him.  
“You’re able to be gentle, Lotor,” Shiro said. “You pretend to be cold just with me. You’re not  
like this with Allura.”  
My feelings for her aren’t dangerous, the emperor thought. What you make me feel is.  
"I could kill you in your sleep," Lotor said. "I could betray Allura and Kolivan. I want this  
Empire to last but I have my own terms. I have my goals, my plans for the future and you  
can be part of it, but if you decide to obstacle me…" He stayed silent for a while, staring into  
the Paladin's iron-like eyes. "Allura is right. Both of us are Zarkon's heirs, but he left just one  
throne. Do you understand, Paladin of the Black Dragon?  
Shiro smiled sadly. He took the young emperor’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “What can I  
do to make you trust me?”  
Lotor shook his head slowly. “You can’t…”  
Their lips met in a kiss.  
After everything he had said, Lotor didn't know why he had been expecting it all along, but  
he had been, so he kissed back automatically.  
Shiro ran his human hand through the emperor’s white, long hair. He held his cheek with the  
right one like he had done to keep him there. Lotor tortured the Paladin’s bottom lips with his  
little fangs until it felt swollen between his own.  
There must be something wrong with me, Lotor thought. If I want you so much but can  
barely even stand who you are.  
He could almost understand Sendak's hatred. Shiro was strong, he was proud, he was an  
honorable man. He was perfect. Probably, Shiro looked like the first Paladin of the Black  
Dragon more than he did, who was Zarkon’s son, and Sendak, who was his pupil.  
Lotor bit his lover’s lips harder. He made him bleed.  
Shiro groaned and stepped back. A trickle of blood ran down his chin.  
Lotor stared at it fascinated. “Shiro,” he murmured. “If only you could understand…”  
"Try me," Shiro said determinedly.  
Lotor smirked and shook his head. He leaned towards the Paladin and licked his blood. It  
was sweet but there was a part of him that tasted sweeter. The young emperor couldn't wait  
to savor it again.  
“Take your clothes off,” Lotor ordered.  
Shiro swallowed.  
The emperor smirked again: the Paladin didn’t complain about his tyrant side when it was  
about sex.  
But Shiro didn't obey. "Take them off yourself," he replied.  
Lotor turned serious. “You’re playing with fire, commander.”  
The Paladin smiled. “I’m a dragon, Lotor,” he said. He took a hold of the young emperor’s  
long hair. “Fire can’t hurt a dragon.”  
When they reached the bed, they were both naked.  
Lotor was on top of the Paladin. They kissed, the emperor’s long hair tickled his  
commander’s skin. Shiro could taste the heat between them with every indrawn breath.  
Loving Lotor was like trying to catch the smoke, but the Paladin of the Black Dragon couldn't  
help trying.  
They were enchained to each other. Hatred got them together, but Shiro refused to believe  
they were still there because of it. There was more between them… There was so much  
more…  
Lotor almost hated how much it made him feel alive. He hadn’t been able to touch Shiro like  
this in what felt like forever.  
The war. The war took away everything from them, even the pleasure.  
The emperor looked down at his commander's body. Shiro touched his face. Their eyes met  
and Lotor started to shiver all over, pressing his chest against the Paladin's. These moments  
just before the sex always left him so flustered, hands shaking and legs twitching as he lost  
self-control.  
Lotor hated it. He hated what Shiro made him feel… But he couldn’t do without it.  
He was aching to touch and to be touched but he didn’t want to be at the commander’s  
mercy.  
Lotor started just below Shiro's navel, chasing the dark trail of hair with biting kisses. He  
nibbled the sensitive flesh of the inner thigh, drawing it slowly between his teeth. He  
breathed slowly down his commander's length, ghosting his lips over it.  
“Stop teasing,” Shiro hissed. “Do it, please.”  
Lotor smirked. He moved to take the tip of Shiro’s sex between his lips. Despite his control  
and his perfection, even the Paladin of the Black Dragon begged sometimes. It made Lotor  
feel proud of himself to reduce his lover to this.  
He felt powerful.  
He slid his mouth down the shaft slowly. He spared a glance to Shiro’s face, iron-like eyes  
closed, head tilted back in pleasure, his dragon hand fisted tightly in the sheets. The  
emperor swirls his tongue around the swollen head.  
Shiro moaned his name and grabbed his hair, pulling the emperor off of him. “Come here,  
Lotor…”  
Every part of Lotor’s body screamed to have more, now. He needed everything Shiro was  
willing to give him.  
The Paladin was as turned on as he was. He kissed his emperor slowly, passionately and  
when they broke apart, he pressed their forehead together.  
“I’m not fighting this war for you,” Shiro murmured. “I’m fighting with you.”  
Lotor just looked back at him. “There is no difference.”  
The Paladin smile patiently. "There is," he replied. "There is a great difference." He  
demonstrated how impatient he was placing a gentle kiss over his lover's shoulder as a  
distraction before slipping a finger inside his body.  
“I’m not made of glass,” Lotor said. He hated that useless kindness.  
“Shhh…” Shiro murmured against his lips. “I want it to last.”  
And Lotor hated him. He hated him with all his heart because he couldn’t help to want him by  
his side forever. He wanted to be that man’s everything. He wanted the Paladin’s heart  
inside his hand.  
Lotor wanted it all without giving something in return.  
He wanted to be loved but he was afraid to love.  
And Shiro loved him… He loved without claiming anything  
He loved him without knowing Lotor loved him back. But the young emperor couldn’t give his  
heart to him. He couldn’t be honest. He just… Couldn’t…  
Shiro reversed their position on the bed. He slid inside him slowly, lovingly. “Are you okay?”  
He asked in a sweet tone.  
Lotor didn’t answer. He moved against him and Shiro held him closer.  
They made it slowly, rocking their bodies together. They breathed the same air, chasing  
each other’s mouths.  
The raw emotion was too intense for Shiro. “Lotor, please…” He begged. “Please…”  
Lotor knew what he wanted but he couldn’t give it to him.  
“Lotor, please, I… I…”  
Shiro never got to finish that confession. Lotor sealed their lips together.  
They found their release together holding each other tighter.  
Exhausted, Shiro pressed his forehead against the emperor's chest. "Lotor…" He tried  
again, tiredly.  
Lotor ran his fingers through his hair to keep him quiet.  
Shiro understood. He pressed his lips over the pale purple skin and stayed silent.  
It was silent outside the tent. The soldiers were sleeping or enjoying themselves.  
Lotor couldn't help but stay awake.  
The indigo eyes were closed but he wasn’t asleep. His mind was like a stormy sea. He  
thought about his father’s legacy, his mother’s archives and what they could hide. He  
thought about the sleeping man behind him, his dragon arm wrapped around his waist.  
Lotor was naturally untrusty, he didn't have the habit to sleep with someone else besides  
him.  
Shiro was the first one. He had never asked him to leave, he didn’t want him to do it.  
It had always been like this since their first night together. There were a lot of things  
someone could find out about another human just by sleeping next to them for a while.  
Lotor didn't need to turn around to know that Shiro was awake like him. He knew it thanks to  
the rhythm of his breath.  
The Paladin was tired but he wasn’t asleep.  
He was waiting.  
Lotor decided to not make him wait any longer. "You were right from the start," he said with  
low, deep voice. "Sendak has never wanted me just like a slave."  
The black arm around his waist held him tighter.  
“Did he hurt you?” Shiro asked directly.  
“No,” Lotor answered. “He tried. My father stopped him.”  
Shiro raised himself on his elbow. “Zarkon saved you?” He sounded surprised.  
Lotor turned towards him. He gave his lover a bittersweet smile. “It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?”  
He traveled his fingertips over the black scales of his lover’s arm. “Sendak’s pride cost him  
his arm.”  
Shiro couldn’t believe him. “Did Zarkon do it to his pupil?”  
Lotor nodded. “It was the first and the last time my father protected me,” he said. “He didn’t  
do it because he loved me. He saw me as his property, no one could touch me without his  
permission… Not even his pupil.” A pause. “Not even his Champion.”  
Shiro kissed his shoulder. “You are not his.”  
Lotor’s eyes were a stormy sea: dangerous and beautiful. “I’m not even yours.” He replied.  
“Good…” Shiro smiled. “I don’t want to own you. I want to stay with you.”  
Lotor rolled his eyes.  
“Shiwo…”  
The young emperor looked over the edge of the bed. Keith stared back at him with sleepy  
eyes.  
"It's the wrong side of the bed, child," Lotor said annoyed.  
Shiro sighed deeply. “I’m here, Keith,” he said gently, sitting up. “Come here, little one.”  
Lotor forced himself not to hide under the cushions. Keith didn’t go to his brother’s side of  
the bed. He climbed the high mattress and then he climbed Lotor too.  
“Keith!” the emperor growled.  
The little half-Galra gave him a sidelong look. Shiro laughed, taking his little brother in his  
arms. “Be gentle, Lotor.”  
“He stepped on me!”  
“He is six years old,” the Paladin replied.  
Keith cuddled in the middle of the bed. “I want to sleep here.”  
Lotor glared at his commander.  
Shiro sighed. “Just tonight...Deal?”  
“Deal!” Keith said happily.  
Lotor snorted with his back towards the two brothers.  
“Do you know what Oriande is, Shiro?” Keith asked suddenly.  
The young emperor became attentive.  
“I’m not sure…” the Paladin answered. Lotor knew what he was trying to do and he hated  
him for it. “Why don’t you try to ask Lotor?”  
Keith looked at the emperor’s back. “He doesn’t want to talk with me.”  
“Try…” Shiro encouraged him.  
Lotor felt the child’s little finger on his back.  
“Lotor?” Keith called. “Do you want to talk to me about Oriande?”  
And the young emperor hated his Paladin, his commander, his lover… He hated him  
because he made him a better person.  
He turned around. Shiro was smiling and Keith's violet eyes were big and curious.  
Once upon a time, Lotor had the same expression on his face. “Oriande is a mythological  
city, Keith,” he said. “A place made of pure magic.”  
He talked until Keith fell asleep and then he talked to Shiro in a lower voice in order not to  
wake up the child.  
The two lovers murmured to each other until sunrise.  
They stayed together one more day.

  



End file.
